Am I the only one that doesn't really seem to care about bowl season? Sure, I'll watch the Bucks, but the rest of the bowl season just is not captivating me. I am excited to see Sugar Shane Morris make his first start for the urine and blue tonight.

You know what separates B1G fans from SEC fans (aside from years of inbreeding)? I never root for my team's rivals.... ever. There are lots of 'Bama fans rooting for Aubarn in the NCG in order to keep the crystal football in the family. I would rather see 10 more SEC championships than see a single one go up north.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Nope. I feel the same way. Said it in another thread somewhere but these matchups don't captivate me in the least. I do think OSU/Clemson is about the most entertaining BCS game. But I'd rather watch TvLand than watch Alabama/Oklahoma or Stanford/Mich St.

Honestly, this point has been brought up ad nauseum, but there are just too many bowls with very little thought to the value (on the field) of the match ups. Most of the matchups are the by product of some bowl deal. It is unfortunate because I am really disinterested in this year's bowls even though there are some interesting teams out there.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Have not watched a single snap of any bowl game yet. Nevertheless, I think there are some compelling match ups involving B10 teams. Would be nice to see strong showings by Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State ands Wisconsin.

I always root for the conference to do well, except for UM. I hope they get ass fucked by K State to the tune of 38 -10.

I don't need to be patient, they're going to be shit forever. - CDT, discussing my favorite NFL team

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

On Fox News Sunday they were doing 2014 predictions on a variety of topics when it came to sports Bret Hume's 2014 prediction was that people will miss the BCS. He stated that for all of the criticisms that the BCS was very succesful in selecting the top 2 teams and matching them together to determine the top team each year. He said he thinks the new system will be worse and more controversial.

I agree with him. That said, I seem to be one of the few that likes watching as many bowl games as I can.

On a side note, most of the economic predictions were quite positive for 2014--even some comments about the Dow going over 18,000 in 2014.

YahooFanChicago wrote:On Fox News Sunday they were doing 2014 predictions on a variety of topics when it came to sports Bret Hume's 2014 prediction was that people will miss the BCS. He stated that for all of the criticisms that the BCS was very succesful in selecting the top 2 teams and matching them together to determine the top team each year. He said he thinks the new system will be worse and more controversial.

I agree with him. That said, I seem to be one of the few that likes watching as many bowl games as I can.

On a side note, most of the economic predictions were quite positive for 2014--even some comments about the Dow going over 18,000 in 2014.

I sort of agree with Hume. Except, based on your comment, I think he is missing the real reason why we will miss the BCS. Once the playoffs go to 4 teams it will very seriously be a situation in which only a couple of games matter and the rest will be chaffe. We have that right now to an extent, but I think a 4 team playoff is actually the worst of all possible scenarios. Right now we have a championship game and a couple of major bowls that matter. I think a playoff further relegates those bowls even more to "Exhibition" status.

I am not ruing the death of the BCS, but I think the system is much better at 8 teams as we will get more games that matter in the postseason. I know that this year's Rose Bowl doesn't really matter but it is still not quite "exhibition status." Once there is a playoff those non playoff bowl games really become more of a novelty.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

My issue with the new system is that it will be even harder to weed out the top 4 teams. Selecting the top 1 or 2 teams should be the same as we have now but identifying the rightfull 3rd and 4th teams will be very tricky in a lot of years.

Normally there are only 1 or at most 2 teams that are undefeated so the selection of the top 2 teams usually works itself out by year end. When you start taking 4 teams you are usually talking about taking a 1 loss or even in some seasons 2 loss teams which there are normally a lot of. Trying to decide which one loss team to take out of the B1G vs the Big 12 or PAC 12 is going to be a cluster. Of course all of the SEC teams that have 2 losses are going to claim they are better than a 1 loss B1G team (and based on recent results they may be right unfortunately). I think the new system will create a lot more controversy and bitching. And as stated above will further water down the traditional bowl games.

Anderson (as he explains in the article) is one of the four(?) computer ranking sources that the BCS uses to compile their rankings, so he obviously has skin in the status quo game, but I think he makes a fairly compelling case that the BCS got it right...by providing the game the fans wanted to see...much more often than not, and that more importantly, the basic structure of the major bowl games was preserved.

One of his major points about how we might miss the BCS after it's gone is that the bowl games may be unrecognizable in the future, in terms of the conference tie-ins, etc. Especially if they go to eight teams, as most people are predicting will happen sooner instead of later...what are the chances, as he asks, that we'll ever again see, for example, the Big Ten champ meet the PAC-12 champ in the Rose Bowl?

(Some will argue that Pandora's Box has already been opened now that we've seen TCU play in Pasadena, and it's a legitimate point.)

The other major issue is that the new system will be more opaque and less accountable in the selection of the four teams. The BCS let you see their rankings all season...no surprises in other words. Here we'll have a dozen good old boys going into a room in December and coming out with four teams...no discussion, no debate...no appeals.

Fair to say everyone will not be happy. We will have added one more layer of games, so folks who have been clamoring for a playoff will be appeased. But there are downsides too, and they haven't really been talked about much.

"I believe it is the nature of the human species to reject what is true but unpleasant and to embrace what is obviously false but comforting." H.L. Mencken

I'm watching the Armed Forces Bowl right now, and there are so many ads on the field (painted on and added by TV) you don't know what color the grass is. It's not going to be easy to get off the money train the current bowl system is on. That goes a LONG way toward financing the smaller programs and thise in non-qualifying conferences.

It has been determined that Ohio State University sophomore Noah Spence has violated a Big Ten Conference rule and he has been suspended for three games, starting with the Discover Orange Bowl this Friday.

Spence's parents, who did not agree with the rule violation nor the penalty imposed, were assisted by the Ohio State Department of Athletics in exhausting the appeals process that was available to them with the Big Ten.

Spence is an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and an OSU Scholar-Athlete. He will continue course work toward his sociology degree next semester and he will be able to practice with the team this spring, but he will not be eligible to play in a game until Ohio State’s third game of the 2014 season, Sept. 13 vs. Kent State.

The Department of Athletics will have no further comment on this issue.

"I believe it is the nature of the human species to reject what is true but unpleasant and to embrace what is obviously false but comforting." H.L. Mencken

fairvis wrote:The word's out that Spence had an "unauthorized" dietary supplement that's on the Big Ten list for banned substances. So you can get 3 games for going to GNC and not paying attention to lists.

Sucks for an already brutally bad Buckeye defense, but really, I can't find it in me to put this on anyone other than Spence.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

As for Spence, it is his fault. I don't know what he took, but it sounds like an OTC banned substance. Nothing illegal or shady (that is just how it sounds at this point).

I think we have some pretty good depth behind him with Marcus and Miller. Both have made a lot of plays when given the opportunity. Who knows, maybe we get a Lou Gehrig situation out of this? or at least some new confidence in the backups.

Roby's "injury" sounds like BS to me. Sounds like a guy that doesn't want to compete. There have been rumors all year about his effort level and selfishness this year. I watched him walk off the field after the BCG and he looked fine, who knows, though.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Which 2 games would any of you most like to see, not necessarily out of the games slated but two games that you think would be best or two teams that you just want to see play each other?

For me #1 is Buckeyes v Auburn, I think they are very similar in terms of being able to put up big numbers on the ground AND b/c their defenses are so damn suspect.

#2 FSU v Bama, mid season I thought it would be the best game to decide everything, and I still do. FSU was consistently most dominant and Bama is most consistently physical and balanced to wear down and/or not get beat down.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

FUDU wrote:Herbies comments on Stanford's RB made no sense, MSU isn't used to his style, he's a power back, um WTF?

Big Ten isn't really known for power backs. It is really known for its speedy WRs and lightning quick, innovative passing games.

Mostly the B1G has scat backs like Carlos Hyde and about 1000 backs Wisco and Iowa.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Cook threw one of the worst INTs I have ever seen. My God, it was like Braxton's against Buffalo.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Other than getting to the two before getting pushed back into endzone I'd agree with you.

Right call. Easily.

He got slowed, no whistle, then broke free and got hit and instantly went back to the goal line and into the EZ all in one motion. He didn't get dragged into the EZ, I see it as fair call either way but they could have called it a legit safety with no questions.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

Sparty's D is playing with a shit ton of confidence. Easily the most impressive unit I have seen all day.

I love watching an aggressive defense play with confidence. It is my favorite part of football. I wish there was a way we could get Narduzzi in Columbus to call our D's. If you are going to play that style of D, you have to be prepared to get beat deep every once in a while and Sparty has been caught a few times, but that is the price of doing business. As a result of the aggressive playcalling the player's are playing more aggressively too.... when all you do is ask your LBs and DE's to do is drop back into zones it creates a defense that is passive in everything it does.

I wonder if the Buckeyes could get Pagac to come back and coach the D now that the Vikings staff has been fired.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

There was some hitting going on the Stanford-MSU game. Bone-Crunching stuff.

I happened to enjoy the UCF game if for no other reason of living on top of campus and driving through it everyday. Plus with Bortles being an Oviedo kid and seeing those guys around town a lot, I was hoping UCF would at least not get killed. Man was I off-base. Baylor was like a sieve. How the hell that team would stop a Hyde/Miller attack I have no idea, and let's not pretend UCF's defense is top of the heap. Baylor just flat shit their pants.

Now I gotta decide....Pull the trigger on Orange Bowl seats? Fuck it, they are down pretty cheap might as well go.

I would go if I was in FL. The game didn't even sell out. The Orange Bowl always has trouble selling out. I wonder if it is due to the bowl overload in FL with all the New Year's Day bowls? The timing is rough for travel too because most folks are just getting back to work from holiday off time. I have always thought that was the fatal flaw with the post Jan. 1 bowls.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Oklahoma looking good against Alabama. I guess Big Game Bob is looking for an opportunity to lose this game in SOUL crushing fashion vice the typical 28 point loss. Gotta give him credit for mixing it up a little.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.